Loose-leaf binder.



W. S. PROUDEIT, W. H. EDWARDS & A. F. WINTERS.

A LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION man MAR. 26. |911.

1,292,046. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

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W. S. PROUDFIT. W. H. EDWARDS & A. l". WINTERS.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION msn 1111111.26. 1911.

1,292,046. Patented 1311.211919.

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, E TN ETED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

WILLIAM S. PROUDFIT, WILLIAM H. EDWARDS, AND ALEXANDER F. WINTERS, 0F

GRAND RArIDs, MICHIGAN,

ASSIGNORS TO THE PROUDFIT LOOSE LEAF COMPANY,

OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM S. PROUD- FIT, WILLIAMH. EDWARDS, and ALEXANDER F. WINTERs, citizens of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a speciication.

The present invention relates to looseleaf binders; and its object is to provide for such devices an improved adjusting mechanism comprising a lever adapted to rotate by a ratchet a rotatable member which tightens or loosens the leaf-holding bands or members.

This and any other objects appearingherel inafter are attained by, and the invention nds preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which :-4

Figure 1 is a plan view of an opened looseleaf binder;

Fig. 2 is a sctional view of the same taken on a plane corresponding to line A-B of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of parts of the adjusting mechanism;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show certain parts of such mechanism;

Fig. 7 shows the operating lever partially formed; y

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate a modified construction; and

Figs. 10 and 11 show another modified construction.

In the preferable embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration by the drawings and for detailed description in the body of this specification, the loose-leaf binder has a pair of swinging covers, to one of which, 1, the flexible and preferably resilient leafholding members, as spring steel bands 2, are secured, as by lugs 3 on said cover engaging inI holes 4 of such bands. These bands pass through suitable slots (not shown) in the binding edge of the removable leaves 5 in the well-known manner, and extend under clips 6 on the inside of the cover 7 to points of attachment, as the lugs 8 on the cross bar 9, which cross bar is movable as by its turned over edges 10 sliding on the guide 11, toward and away from the binding Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 157,343.

edge of said cover. This cross bar is thus moved to loosen or tighten the leaf-holding members, by a bell-crank lever 12 fulcrumed at 13 and swung by rotatable means,-the worm 14-which meshes with the toothed segment 15 of the bell-crank lever.

The lever l2 has a pin 60 engaging in the slot 61 in the cross bar 9.

No claim is made herein to the parts or mechanism so far described.

In order to rotate this rotatable member 14, a toothed wheel 16 is carried thereby, and a hand-operated lever 17 is fulcrumed on the shaft of the worm. Inside this lever, which is hollow, a ratchet pawl 18 is pressed longitudinally by a spring 19 into engagement with the wheels teeth. This pawl may be turned on its longitudinal axis by its transversely turned handle portion 20, so that when turned to one position its beveled extremity 21 will engage the wheels teeth to turn the worm one way, slipping freely over such teeth when the lever is swung reversely: and when the pawl is turned half way around, its said extremity engages the teeth to rotate the worm in the opposite direction, and slip over the teeth when the lever is swung reversely. When the pawl is drawn outwardly against the pressure of said spring, it does not engage the teeth at all.

'A slot 22 is formed transversely of the free end of the lever, into 'whichjthe pawls handle portion 20 may drop and be held by the spring, such handle portion thus acting as a detent, to hold the pawl in either of its operative positions. It is evident that by turning the pawl to one of its positions and operating the lever, the leaf-holding meinbers are tightened; and by turning the pawl to its other position and operating the lever, such members are loosened.

The lever, and connected parts are simply and economically constructed and assembled as shown: The lever is formed by pressing a metal sheet or strip 23 into concave-convex form and cutting the slot 22 in its middle portion and the orifices 27, 28 near its ends as shown in Fig. 7 and then turning the concave sides of the bent halves 24, 25 toward each other (Fig. 4). The pawl is now inserted into the hollow lever, its handle or detent portion 20 passing through 'the slot Patented Jan. 21, 1919.V

22, and the outer end of the spring 19 abutting against a cap piece 26 through Which the paWl freely slides and which is seated inside the lever at its free end. The halves 24, 25 of the lever are now closed so that their orifices 27, 28 surround the hubs 29, 30 of the toothed Wheel, Whose squared ceni tral orifice 31 lits on the shaft of the Worm 14: The halves of the lever are securely joined by suitable means, as by slipping over the lever the sleeve 32 and pressing it down toward the fulcrum. (Fig. 3.)

A swinging flap 33 may be provided to inclose the mechanism, its free edge 34 being releasably held under hooks or clips 35.

A modified construction is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. In Fig. 8 the shaft 36 of the Worm carries inwardly facing ratchet Wheels 37, 38 spaced apart, the teeth on one raking oppositely to the teeth on the other, as shown. The lever 39 turning freely on the shaft carries on Yeachside the pa'Wl teeth 40, 4l and may be slid along the shaft sufiiciently to engage the pavvl teeth 40 with the ratchet Wheel 37 or the teeth 41 with the Wheel 38, or to such an intermediate position (shown in Fig. 8) that nopaWl teeth engage. y, p Y

Fig. 9 is a side View of this lever. It will be seen that by thussliding the lever to one position or the other 'and rotating the same,

the leaf-holding members Will be tightened or loosened. Y

Another. modified construction is illustrat'ed in Figs. 10 and ll, the first Abeing an inside plan view of `the cover carrying the adjusting mechanism and thesecond being a section of the same on line (l-D of Fig. 10. In 'this construction the shaft 42 of the Worm carries a gear 43 meshing with aV gear 44 on Whose spindle is fulcrume'd the lever On this lever is ivotally mounted at 46 aV paWl member 4 adapted to be turned by its handle portion 48 to one position in which the pawl 49 engages as shown the `teeth of the gear 44 When the lever is swung in one direction but slips freely oversuch teeth when thelever is swungyoppositely; but when the paWl member is turned to its opposite position the other p'a'vvl 50 operates similarly but rotates the shaft in the opposite direction. The paWl niember is releasably held in desired position by the slidable detent 5l spring pressed at 52 ifnto one or the other keeper orifice '53 or p54. The gear 44 having more teeth than the gear 43, the turningmovement of the Worm shaft is fasterthan that of the lever. Y What is claimed is: l l

In a device of the character described; a pair of covers; a leaf-holding flexible member secured to one cover; rotatable means carried by the other cover and adapted to move said member longitudinally; a lever; ratchet mechanism intermediate the lever and the rotatable means for turning said means by the lever. y

2. In a device of the character described;

a pair of covers; a leaf-holding flexible' member secured to one cover; rotatable means carried by the other coverl and adapte ed to move said member longitudinally; a lever; reversible rachet mechanism intermediate the lever and the rotatable means for turning said Vmeans either Way by the lever.

3. In a device of the character described; a pair of covers; a leaf-holding flexible member secured to one cover; rotatable means carried by the other cover and adapted to move said member longitudinally; a lever; a toothed Wheel carried by said rol tatable means a paWl carried by the lever and lhaving a turning movement around its longitudinal axis, and adapted `When turned to one position to engage the Wheels teeth` and rotate the rotatable means in one direction and adapted when turned toA another lposition to engage said teeth and rotate said means in the opposite direction. p

4. In a device Vof the character described; a pair of covers; a leaf-holding eXible member 4secured to fo'n'e cover; rotatable means carried by the other cover 'adapted to move `said member longitudinally; a lever having a retaining socket; a toothed Wheel carried by said rotatable means.; a paWl carried the lever and spring-pressed longitudinally into engagement With the Wheels teeth, and having a turning movement around its longitudinal axis, and adapted when turned to one position to ro'- tat'e the rotatable means in V"one direction and when turned to another position to rotate said means in the opposite direction, and having a detent adapted to be releas'ably held in the socket by the spring to retain 'the paw] in one of its said positions.

In a device of the 'character described; pair of covers; a leaf-holding ieXible member `secme'd to one cover rotatable means carried by the other Vcover and adapted to move said member longitudinally; a

lever; a pair of meshing gears one having more teeth than lthe vother 'and one being carried by said rotatable means; ratchet means intermediate the lever and the other gear for turning said gear by the lever.

In testimony vvhereof We `have hereunto set our hands.

VVILLIA'M S. PROUDFIT.

WILLIAM EDWA-IftIDS.k

ALEXANDER F. WINTERS.

sans@ of this patent may "be "attained Vfor five sans each, by addressing the commissioner 'of raam,

Wehingten, 2112.33 

